Something is charming and lulling yet equally wistfully pensive about Indie music. You will get swept away in how Indie artists turn their muses into solid stories told in a gentle, meditative practice. The emerging Indie-Ballroom Folk artist Hazlett illustrates this ability. Hazlett’s recent EP release, Goodbye to the Valley Low, is a beautifully written work that feels like a personal letter from a friend.
Goodbye To The Valley Low
Hazlett released his debut album, Bloom Mountain, earlier in the year. Now, he is ending his year with the release of Goodbye to the Valley Low, undeniably marking a solid beginning and finish to his career in 2023. Hazlett’s six-track EP takes you into a raw and thoughtful personal narration, one song at a time.
“Hazlett is offering up a hazy, textured version of the classic singer-songwriter sound.”
The Line of Best Fit
Goodbye to the Valley Low is a well-penned project that will softly land on your ears. We’re breaking down a few of the tracks from this release so you can get excited about listening to it without spoiling the entire play.
‘Blame The Moon’
The first track on the EP, ‘Blame the Moon,’ is mellow and drenched in sadness with a backtrack that feels like you’re swaying with the grass. It’s an interesting approach to viewing the end of a relationship. Blaming the moon and its constantly changing phases on the “why” behind the hurt is easier than facing the truth. It’s not written in spite. It’s doing anything but pointing fingers at who is responsible for the relationship crumbling.
“Lately I don’t feel inspired. Wish I was a better liar. Maybe that’s why I blame the moon. It’s too late to be this early. Heaven knows you tried to hurt me. Maybe that’s why you blame the moon.”
Hazlett – ‘Blame The Moon’
Two individuals play a role in the success and downfall of a relationship. And, indeed, one might have more of the responsibility in the breakup. However, in ‘Blame the Moon,’ it’s all shifted. To repeat, there are two individuals to blame with two sides, just like the moon.
There’s a bright side that we hold onto, and there’s the dark side we try eagerly to ignore. Hazlett carefully shares how we don’t like acknowledging the dark within ourselves or our partners, even in the first moments of separation. It’s easier to pass the blame to the universe, the stars, or the moon when we can’t face reality and still feel love.
Mama’s Boy
This song explores a different edge of emotion. ‘Mama’s Boy‘ reflects on how someone can have all the ideal values and wants we want in a partner; however, even the good ones can bring you heartache. Throughout the song, there’s a fascinating balance between saying there’s peace in their actions and exhibiting a battle of wanting love and living without leaving “damage.”
“They heard there’s peace in him that’s good. Hope it can stop him saying things he shouldn’t.”
Hazlett – ‘Mama’s Boy’
With a vulnerable lyricism that showcases how we intentionally aim to do good, it doesn’t remove the fact that we can still do things that hurt others. ‘Mama’s Boy’ isn’t necessarily about being a mama’s boy. With lyrics like, “Oh you mammas boy. Don’t stay the night if you plan on breaking hearts,” show us the internal monologue of knowing the possible consequences of actions of the heart.
Instead, it reminds us of how we try to run home or find the essence of home when we are hurting. Or when we realize the guilt of how we caused others pain. It’s something we don’t want to think about or relive. Therefore, we become childlike in navigating the ebbs and flows. It’s fair to say that ‘Mama’s Boys’ is a conversation between the chorus and verses. The former is someone telling him his qualities, and the latter is the viewpoint of seeing the consequences of not “acting” on those qualities.
‘Missionary Feelings’
Hazlett tells an unexpected story of a “missionary” tale in ‘Missionary Feelings.‘ In this song “missionary” fits the definition of “relating to or characteristic of a missionary or a religious mission.” However, in this circumstance, it isn’t a religious mission but a mission in love.
‘Missionary Feelings’ to us is about how people tend to believe in something or someone very intensely. Ultimately, leading to blind faith. The song unfolds, showing that the mission of love turns into a mission of leaving. Then the blind faith slips. Resulting in every corner, every step you see, the way moves forward, and you must match that pace.
In those moments, the memories flood, and you don’t want to change the room. Hazlett makes a direct reference to not wanting to change his room. Our rooms are our most sacred places and where the memories flood in. And, seeing someone with whom we’ve made memories, a life, and a belief around being removed rips the floor from under us. ‘Missionary Feelings’ is how we try to make a mission to shake off and let go.
Get a haircut. Talk too fast. Go travel for a holiday. Get tired of leaving. Get the feeling of sonder while fighting the sense of énouement. Énouement is the bittersweetness of arriving here in the future. A future where you can finally get the answers to how things turn out in the real world. We feel that ‘Missionary Feelings’ captures the internal battle of deciding whether to hold on, let go, leave, or stay.
Hazlett Is An Exciting New Artist With A Timeless Feel
Hazlett did excellent work putting together Goodbye To The Valley Low. This Aussie who moved to Sweden to enhance positive changes to his career is seeing that move pay off. He created a piece of work that pulls at the deeper parts of our inner selves that crave to be heard and seen! It’s up to you now to go listen to the EP and interpret it all for yourself! We recommend your Hazlett journey begin with ‘Stolen Seasons’ and then dive into the rest.
If you enjoy Luke Hemmings‘ When Facing The Things We Turn Away From, without a doubt, you’ll enjoy Goodbye to The Valley Low. Not to mention that Hazlett has a Noah Kahan and Hozier vibe in musicality and lyricism! Now that we got you hooked on Hazlett, it’s time that we talk about him together! Head to our socials, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to chat Hazlett and Good to The Valley Low.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HAZLETT:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE
What's Your Reaction?
